My experiences with the Custom 3 headphones....

[Lilfurbal]

So, I decided to finally get the Custom 3 headphones and they arrived from amazon a few days ago. I have been debating whether or not I wanted to spend the $300 on headphones since before these were released last November... my ipod earbuds, the right side seems to be dieing for no reason so it was time I got new headphones.

These are the first ear-canal headphones I have ever tried, and I've been using them often since I got them however I'm going to be honest here, I'm not all too happy with them~

Now I love the Klipsch brand, have a Klipsch 5.1 system for my computer and a large Klipsch system for my home theater, I enjoy their sound immensely compared to 'lesser' speakers... I'd love to go with Klipsch headphones also, I really would, but I'm just not happy...

For one thing, these headphones don't exactly fit my definition of comfortable. In fact I'm just going to come out say that they are incredibly uncomfortable.. I started out using the medium ear gel, then went small and noticed that that just slides in and out with no effort and creates no seal at all. Large is a bit big and is really uncomfortable. Small double fails to create a seal. Large double will... but one thing I've come to notice is no matter what size I pick they are all causing me pain in the ear canal. I don't know what they're hitting, but ugh, if I just quickly insert them and let them be they'll generally be ok, until they're touched again, which leads to my next issue...

The sound quality isn't what it is I was expecting. Sometimes I can get them to where they do sound pretty good, but I can only get that when I push them in basically as far as I can, but I'll have to hold them in place with my fingers. The moment I let go they sort of just start slipping back out on their own, it matters not how I position the ear wire. They don't stay inserted that far on their own, so once they lose their ideal positioning the sound diminishes. Now I'm not really talking about whether I have a seal or not, I can actually get a good seal rather easily. It feels much like putting in those Army ear plugs... except those didn't bring pain with it, just the pressure. But the seal in itself doesn't seem to be producing 'great' sound, although it's definitely better than the sound you get with no seal at all. The bass isn't exactly what I want it to be, although I will say the bass I do hear seems amazing, but I'm usually in some degree of physical pain by that time.

Now I read the instruction manual, read all the pages here, read other issues people are having and also watched the instructional video online, nothing at all has helped increase comfort or increase sound quality. I am just at a loss here.

These headphones are not ideal for my work place. With them sealed I cannot hear much of anything going on and missed my desk phone ringing a couple times, however with them not sealed they sound sort of crappy and I'd rather not bother. They're also incredibly difficult to remove and reinsert, even just one side, to answer the phone when it rings.

And on other notes, I can't sleep with these either. I can't lay down on them, it presses further against my ear and I end up in pain again when the thing is touched. And speaking of that, I sit here right now typing this using the half functioning apple earbuds as they are great for sleeping, they are great for work, and they produce great sound without me trying to find and hold a 'sweet spot'. I don't have a lot past experience with the apple earbuds, as I'm using my first ipod with is the newest ipod nano video, so it's also a newer model earbud. They sound great to me, have excellent bass without even putting in effort to find it.

Right now my ear canals are in need of a serious break from the Custom 3's, by just sticking my finger in my ear now they feel sore.

Anyway, the close soundfield the Klipsch headphones produce while in my ears is pretty cool, but actually I do not feel these headphones are worth the money spent on them. The just from a cheap $20 pair of 2.0 computer speakers to a $300 5.1 set is a HUGE jump of epic proportions. The jump from the included free apple earbuds to the $300 headphones just does not equate. There was nothing epic about it, except they look much cooler than the apple ones and come with a neat case (although it would be neater if the Klipsch logo on it was gold instead of black).

Now regardless of how you look at it I have no working set of headphones to go back to, I need new ones. I'm finding myself very close to returning these in hopes of finding something a bit more practical. Klipsch have any plans for making any regular earbud style, on ear or over-ear headphone models? Open up to a wider audience who may prefer other styles, I'm sure they would be awesome. I'd try em. Ear plug headphones just don't seem to be my thing. I'll give them just a little bit more time before I return them, but I'll probably be decided by the next session I sit with them. Suggestions for that next session are welcome, just hopefully my ears don't start bleeding or something then.

[dtel's wife]

I strongly encourage you to contact "Professor Thump" via this forum. He was the lead design engineer for the Klipsch headphones/earbuds.

I do know a lot of research was put into the earbuds, particularly in the area of "proper seating, comfort and fit". I believe Professor Thump would be interested to hear your comments and could probably assist you.

If you cannot find a post by Professor Thump, contact Amy Unger, Forum Adminstrator and ask her to assist you in contacting Professor Thump.

[BLSamuel]

Yes. Try to get ahold of Professor Thump. Hopefully he'll offer up some suggestions soon. There are some people who take quite a while to get the custom models into their ears. Using the Custom 2 I know it can be difficult. And I've managed to get them in where the nozzle is aimed into skin rather than into the cartiledge.Sometimes you have to kind of point them up a bit depending on how your ear canal is oriented.

After a few months I don't think I'm getting the kind of seal I should with the Custom 2 but they still sound really good to me. I've never got them as comfortable to be abel to forget I'm wearing them. I don't like things in my ears. Can't stand the ear-buds that I've tried.

Be sure you have gotten some wax or something in the nozzle as that would muddy up the sound right away. Carefully clean with the cleanin tool .

[Fud]

I've had my custom-2s since release, and only recently got the perfect seal =P Just be patient, it'll take some time to get a good fit. I listed a step by step process of how I fit my custom-2s everyday in another thread. If you haven't read that yet, take a look. I find the large double flange tip causes me some pain when I insert them, but that issue is resolved if I open my mouth wide and pull my earlobe up and back. It opens up the ear canal and allows the tip to get past the second bend in the canal.

[Lilfurbal]

Thank you for the replies I waited a day before trying to use these again, gave my ears some time to heal from that. Tried them again with the large single flange, as it seems that in using that it doesn't keep slipping out of my left ear. I have to be careful in exactly what direction I insert them at as that seems to have been what was causing the pain in the first place, not in pain anymore now. Although it still feels incredibly not comfortable having something applying tight pressure in my ears, not painful anymore, but not comfortable either. I am starting to appreciate the sound more though, now that I got them to stay sealed without holding them in place. I also gave them a whirl on my piano keyboard and have to say I was incredibly impressed by how that sounded. All 88 keys sound amazing from the lowest bass filled note to the highest note. In fact I haven't heard it sound that good ever. All other headphones I've used, including a pair of over ear ones all have distorted on the low notes, and performed weakly on the high notes. Nice to see something pass the test.

I've decided to hold onto these headphones for some more time. Adapt to them further...

[Matt Walsh]

I bought a pair of Custom 3's and a pair of Image's. The Image's are much easier to get in and more comfortable. I truly can't find a significant difference in sound. In fact if anything I've found pieces where I like the Image's more. YMMV.

[Professor Thump]

Thank you for the replies I waited a day before trying to use these again, gave my ears some time to heal from that. Tried them again with the large single flange, as it seems that in using that it doesn't keep slipping out of my left ear. I have to be careful in exactly what direction I insert them at as that seems to have been what was causing the pain in the first place, not in pain anymore now. Although it still feels incredibly not comfortable having something applying tight pressure in my ears, not painful an ymore, but not comfortable either. I am starting to appreciate the sound more though, now that I got them to stay sealed without holding them in place. I also gave them a whirl on my piano keyboard and have to say I was incredibly impressed by how that sounded. All 88 keys sound amazing from the lowest bass filled note to the highest note. In fact I haven't heard it sound that good ever. All other headphones I've used, including a pair of over ear ones all have distorted on the low notes, and performed weakly on the high notes. Nice to see something pass the test.

I've decided to hold onto these headphones for some more time. Adapt to them further...

Lilfurbal,

Thanks for having the patience to stick it in your ear more than one time.

You are probably not aware but I used to design loudspeakers at Klipsch. During this period of time I never had anyone complain about the speakers hurting their ears, except maybe for being too loud. [li] Well now that I have been doing headphones I see that everyone experiences something different when it comes to fit and sound. I will let you in on a little secret. Dr. Cochlear and I designed the Klipsch headphones to fit our ears. As the "doctor" would say "keep your eye on the prize" [] Even though we have made many efforts to test the masses there are indeed cases where people can't wear Klipsch Custom series. So I feel your pain, well not literally but you get the idea.

With this in mind here are several suggestions.

1. You will see sections in our website that show FAQ's for fit issues. Please read this area…

http://www.klipsch.com/headphones/faq/custom-series.html

2. You will also want to read these areas where others have found the “

holy grail”

of fit

.

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/103922.aspx

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/103626.aspx

3.

After going to the CanJam08 Event put on by Head-fi.org I have found that some people prefer using Comply eartips from Hearing Components.

You can buy them at:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/cofotipeco1p.html#

Now I have to admit you have to be careful putting these eartips on our nozzles since it is a different design.

The material is real squishy and hard to determine if it is all the way on our nozzle.

It is also very tight fitting on the nozzle and in your ear so make sure that the tip is tight on the nozzle before inserting in your ear.

I wouldn’t want you to get a tip caught in your ear canal.

4.

The most important thing is using the correct size ear tip and bending the wire so the tip points in the correct direction.

Usually this is up and forward slightly.

For instance I can use a medium ear tip in both my ears but my left tends to pop out some times so a large or double flange will fix this.

It is not unusual to use two sizes of ear tips.

5.

Enjoy your Custom 3’s and cherish them.

We worked REAL hard on this design to give the best sound solution for your inner ear.

I am not surprised that they passed your piano test.

In fact I don’t measure below 10 Hz but if you are getting an complete air seal the design will go down to DC.

That’s below 1 Hz.

Not that it is practical for music but it is an interesting fact as to how well our product performs.

Good fittings!

.

[Lilfurbal]

Hello Professor, thank you for responding.

After further experimentation, just yesterday at that I figured out how to get an even better seal than before, I seem to be capable of getting different levels of seals while I just became able to get the tightest seal thus far. Now I have have found the rich bass, took about a week of patience but now I can honestly say that I really do love the sound of these now. I have found the 'wow' effect in these and no longer have a desire to go back to the apple earbuds. I have a Klipsch Quintet II 5.1 system with a KSW-15 sub on my computer, and these compare in sound quality to those very well. They're just as enjoyable to listen to. Although of course you don't get the sub woofer 'boom' effect, the bass is very rich, and very clean and sounds outstanding. These headphones have beautifully perfect sound. Still though, they're not all too ideal at work because I can't hear the phone ring, but that in itself isn't gonna get me to return them. I'm sure they'll be amazing on the car trip coming up, and plane flights. They still produce a strange pressure in my ears though, that will keep me from saying that the fit is perfectly comfortable, but with the awesome sound it becomes worth it.

It pays off to be patient. I thank you sir for the awesome product.

[Professor Thump]

You are not the first one to have problems with fit. There were many people at Klipsch that believed there was no bass in the IEM's until they got the fit correct. It took one individual a month before he was a believer.

So I am glad you had the patience to stick it out. As far as the feeling you will start to get used to the tickle effect.

You will enjoy these the most when you are travelling in a noisy environment like a plane. This is where Klipsch Custom 3 headphones really shine.

Enjoy your new toys!

[dtel's wife]

I'm glad you are beginning to get the most from the Klipsch earphones! Just keep making adjustments and I am sure you will find the "perfect fit".

They are awesome sounding!

We also have a Quintet system in one of the upstairs bedroom. Great product for the price.

Most people don't realize how great Klipsch sounds.

If you get the chance listen to some of the Heritage line up....very impressive indeed.

[Coytee]

Some minor observations (aka: babblings)

It took me a bit of a while to get my C-3's to seal and get the bass going inside my head. I tried various tips and ultimately, decided that the "standard" tip they had mounted provided me the most all around best fit.

When I go mow a field I put some over-ear protection on for defense against tractor/mower humdrum... and I've got my C-3's slipped on underneith my hearing protection. I discovered the round tips worked better than the double flanged tips. The over ear protection I was wearing, put some pressur on everything....not much.....but enough to cause issues with the double flange parts.

I just got back from a 12 hour plane ride from Istanbul. In all honesty....this was the primary reason I bought an Ipod and the C-3's.... to help occupy my mind during this long flight. I seem to have a slight difference between my ears in that I can wear the left piece in my ear and essentially "not know its there" for a long time. The right ear must be a tad smaller diamater (I think it goes with the thicker head my wife says I have [*-)]...thicker head, smaller ear canal?) anyways.... the right side begins to ache a bit and I find myself fidgeting with it a small bit to move it around.

I have also found (primarily on this long flight) that as the unit is stuck in my head for hours.... it seems to gravitate towards matching my body temperature I guess...? when I pulled it out of my ears, it was like the ear wax that was in there (what, ME have ear wax??) had warmed up and softened. Almost like it melted. I'm not sure if I'm describing it very well and I also don't know that anyone would care! Like I warned above.... I'm just babbling.

I DO have a question for the Thumpster if he's still reading this thread...

Has to do with the plug end of the wire.

I presume there is at least three if not four wires held inside the cable from plug to ear pieces? One wire for each channel and a ground for each channel or possibly, a common ground.

Is the outer sheath that covers all the wires simply slipped into the rubber tip at the plug end or is the sheath somehow 'attached' inside the plug? Reason I ask (and I'll bring these to show you next week if you want)... I somehow put a kink in the wire right as it exits the rubber tip of the plug end. A real 90 degree bend. Now, I can see light through the sheath. My guess is the sheath pulled out of the rubber covering just a bit when it was bent 90 degrees and now I've got a bit of a gap in the material. (?)

It's clearly my fault it happened so this isn't any kind of negative comment. I do think I'll have a problem at this junction sometime in the future and if I do, my follow up question would be, can a new plug tip somehow be put on the ends of the wires? or if you break the wire at this point, does it render the whole unit unusable?

[Professor Thump]

I DO have a question for the Thumpster if he's still reading this thread...

Has to do with the plug end of the wire.

I presume there is at least three if not four wires held inside the cable from plug to ear pieces? One wire for each channel and a ground for each channel or possibly, a common ground.

Is the outer sheath that covers all the wires simply slipped into the rubber tip at the plug end or is the sheath somehow 'attached' inside the plug? Reason I ask (and I'll bring these to show you next week if you want)... I somehow put a kink in the wire right as it exits the rubber tip of the plug end. A real 90 degree bend. Now, I can see light through the sheath. My guess is the sheath pulled out of the rubber covering just a bit when it was bent 90 degrees and now I've got a bit of a gap in the material. (?)

It's clearly my fault it happened so this isn't any kind of negative comment. I do think I'll have a problem at this junction sometime in the future and if I do, my follow up question would be, can a new plug tip somehow be put on the ends of the wires? or if you break the wire at this point, does it render the whole unit unusable?

There are three wires... Gnd, L & R

I am not sure I follow your other question, but the cloth jacket is over molded onto the plug. We won't service, as in repair, cables. If it is a mfg defect we will just replace it. You can certainly put a new plug on the cable though. Just make sure Right Channel is the ring and tip is Left Channel.

Keep Rockin!

[Lilfurbal]

After using these headphones for even more time, and after my initial time getting a good seal, I've come to realize that I can't get that seal all the time, with any earbud sizes. I got the good seal with the large double flange. Got that seal a couple times since then, but not every time. Like yesterday I couldn't get the good seal at all no matter how hard I tried. I know what these should sound like now, still having difficulties keeping it consistant though. With already using the large double flange I can't go any bigger

[Lilfurbal]

...And today I find myself capable of getting a great seal using none other than the medium single flange earbud. Silly times. Oh well.

[Jay481985]

...And today I find myself capable of getting a great seal using none other than the medium single flange earbud. Silly times. Oh well.

I believe the weather (temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure) can affect this as it happened to me a few times

[Lilfurbal]

Well, after having used these headphones much more now, especially on a 2 day car trip across the US and another 2 days back I believe I got these headphones doing what I want them to be doing. Using the large single flange in both ears I can manage to get a great seal without sticking the headphones far into my ears, they just sort of sit there with a little pressure added. The sound quality is excellent, they aren't causing me a great deal of discomfort anymore and worked very well in the car. I could hardly hear the sound of driving down the freeway, I could hardly hear anything but high quality music. I also found that these headphones sound best with the ipod graphic equalizer turned off as they seem to distort at times with any form of equalizer set. Though this holds true for the larger Klipsch speakers too, well, not the distorting part but I just tend to find they sound better on their own and actually don't need any assistance to make everything sound good together.

These sound so good I feel as if I should be sitting in front of a larger sound system. A part of me gets like 'turn it up louder! I can't feel the vibrations!', which I can't really though it sounds as though I should. Some big, rich sound come out of these. Not only does it matter you have a seal but you really need to make sure you have a good seal in both ears to get the full experience. I was having a lot of difficulty getting my left ear to seal and when it would it would never hold the seal after I removed my finger from holding it in place, though I've got that taken care of now.

My only complaints now are that they're a bit tedious removing and reseating in your ear several times, once you get them in you really don't want to take them out to avoid having to reseat them. Gotta find that great seal every time. They definitely isolate noise alright.

Anyhow, cheers.